that papa john didn't build papa john pizza, to say something like that is not just foolishness, it's insulting to every entrepreneur, every innovator in america. >> but romney's fiery rhetoric has been blunted by growing calls by fellow republicans to release his tax returns. romney told the national review's robert costa yesterday, quote, i'm simply not enthusiastic about giving the obama campaign hundreds or thousands of more pages to pick through, distort and lie about. but the conservative magazine's editors were apparently not convinced, writing, quote, in all likelihood, he -- mitt romney -- will not be able to maintain a position that looks secretive and is a departure from campaign conventions. the only question is whether he releases more returns now or later. texas governor rick perry, who has released his tax returns dating back to 1992, was quizzed by reporters in austin yesterday and issued a general call for

transparency. >> i'm a big believer that no matter who you are or what office you're running for, you should be as transparent as you can be with your tax returns and other aspects of your life. >> in another romney gop primary opponent, congressman ron paul told politico, quote, it looks like releasing tax returns is what the people want. romney defended himself to nbc's pittsburgh affiliate wpxi. >> why do you think that's not enough for members of your own party, though? some members. not all. >> oh, i think people in my party just say, look, this is a nonissue. just release the returns and it will all go away. my experience is that the democratic party these days has approached taxes in a very different way than in the past. their opposition people look for anything they can find to distort, twist and try to make negative. >> and in another distraction for the romney campaign, former new hampshire governor john

sununu said this on a conference call with reporters. >> the men and women all over america who have worked hard to build these businesses, their businesses from the ground up is how our economy became the envy of the world. it is the american way, and i wish this president would learn how to be an american. >> asked to clarify on the call, sununu tried to dial back those comments and later issued an apology of sorts on cnebc. >> i probably was a little too harsh there. that's not the best choice of words. you know, sometimes you say something, you wish you could pull it back. but the message was clear. this president doesn't understand the american free enterprise system. >> nbc's deputy political editor domminic

domminico joins me now. seems to be tripped up there by john sununu. calls now from right for mitt romney to release his tax returns, we saw there rick perry. founded by the late william f. buckley, conservative legend perhaps there's not a publication that personifies the gop establishment, the wing of the party that mitt romney is part of. they said this, quote, release the returns. john kerry actually released returns from 1999 through 2003 and also released tax returns during his senate runs. as for teresa heinz, romney isn't the wealthy spouse of a candidate, but the candidate himself n 2008 john mccain released two years of returns, but he has been filing out financial disclosure forms for decades as a senator. what does mitt romney do on this issue where he's getting this much flack from the people that are closest to him? >> i think a lot of people thought they would try to ride

this out. he has this trip internationally with -- themed around the olympics, then maybe make the vp pick. this story might go away. that might be something that they're still counting on, that they might try to do. you're right, the national review, that is, you know, another republican source that i think romney actually does listen to as opposed to some others who have been critical of him or called for him to release it. so far we haven't seen him -- >> this isn't george will. >> right. >> this is a friendly magazine, who endorsed him in 2008. >> it's not george will calling him the pretzel candidate, which he did earlier, last year. this is one of the conservative intelligence magazines that they would pay attention to. >> let's talk vp a little bit. yesterday on andrea mitchell's show, tim pawlenty said this, when pressed if he had gotten a call from boston regarding the job. >> have you gotten the call?

>> which call is that, andrea? >> well, the call from boston or new hampshire or from governor romney. >> well, i'm in contact with governor romney from time to time. this week i'm focused on some yard work and business things. but, look, the process will unfold in due course. >> and first read has the short list. pawlenty, rob portman bob jindal, paul ryan and john thune. >> it will probably be closer to the convention. who knows. of course, the romney people might make a decision earlier. in the daily news, new york daily news sources are telling him that they would rather do it after the trip because they don't want it to look like a knee-jerk reaction if they were to do it too soon. >> we were speaking earlier. you said that now that the president's campaign south carolina outspent two to one when you combine the super pacs

and the romney campaign in the top ten media markets. we're talking about this tax issue on tv that will feed twitter and cable news cycle, every day america is getting barraged with ads from team romney. >> huge change. last two weeks -- previously, what we had seen was outside groups were helping romney get up to parody with the obama campaign, crossroads, gps. now the rnc is also joining that fight, getting some money in, making some buys to the point that now crossroads, outside groups, along with team romney, are outspending team obama 2-1. this week in the top ten markets, really, that's a big, big change from what we had seen previously. >> huge shift going under the radar right now. that's why first read brings it to the top, to the forefront. domenico, thank you for joining

us. appreciate it. ben bernanke is warning that the u.s. is head for another recession if the economy is allowed to go off the so-called fiscal cliff at year's end. tim geithner spoke to cnbc's larry kudlow about the lack of answers on capitol hill. >> is this the most chaotic political moment that we've seen? >> i don't know if it's chaotic, but it's stuck and it needs to get unstuck. the most powerful instruments of economic policy that the country needs right now are in the hands of the congress. they're things that the executive branch, be the fed cannot control. those things need to be put to work. >> with me now maryland congressman chris van hollan. thank you so much for joining us. >> good to be with you, luke. >> the washington post on the front page article this morning said, quote, economists say the automatic actions slated to take place at the end of the year, increase in payroll taxes and

income tax rates as well as large cuts in domestic and defense spending would tip the country back into recession. you are not going to move at all unless there is revenue on the table. where do we go from here? and are you guys pulling a play out of what the gop did with the debt limit last summer? >> no, luke. what patty murray and the president have said is that we should move immediately. we, meaning the congress, to extend all the middle class tax relief. tax relief for 98% of the american people. in fact, it actually provides tax relief to 100% of the american people. even fks at the very high end benefit from some of the tax relief that would be provided. but we also believe we need to begin to get our deficits under control over the long period of time and that going back to the same kind of rates that were in place during the clinton administration, when the economy was booming makes sense from a fiscal discipline perspective as well as getting the economy

moving again as we go forward. what we really should be doing in addition to that is taking up the president's jobs bill, which has been sitting in the house of representatives since last september. >> let's talk about this sequestration and the dod. studies out from trade groups related to defense contracting and say if these cuts go forward you could see about a million jobs lost. you know as well as i do that would affect jobs in maryland, swing states like virginia, florida, ohio. are you worried that the threat of possible layoffs in swing states will force your party to compromise early on this, to avoid the president losing those states? >> once again, luke, we actually already put on the table a proposal to prevent the sequester. if we enacted it it would prevent the sequester in the

hou house. to prevent it over ten years as well as one year. when i say prevent, we came up with an alternative way of getting that deficit reduction. the bottom line is this. republicans keep talking about the defense cuts. but they're unwilling to cut special interest tax breaks like oil and gas subsidies in order to help pay for defense. they always talk a big game on defense. they just don't want to pay for it. after all, they put two wars on our national credit card. so, we put forward a plan that will prevent the cuts to both defense and nondefense, which are also very devastating cuts to education and other areas. we did it by eliminating a lot of tax breaks, by making cuts to agricultural subsidies and other things. the republicans have the key to the lock here in their own hands, just as they do on the tax issue. the reason we can't move forward on tacks is because they're holding tax relief for 98% of the american people, getting breaks from the very top. that's not going to work.

>> how do you see this playing out? congress seems to do something every single time at the last minu minute. is it more likely than nop not that they'll punt this into early spring? >> a lot of us would like to see this get done now. that's why the president asked the congress to extend middle class tax relief immediately. they're going to try to do that in the senate. senate republicans have blocked that proposal and said they're going to block that proposal. we can get it done now. if our republican colleagues are willing to take the compromise approach that is set forth in the frameworks of bipartisan commissions. meaning you make some cuts -- which, by the way, we already did a trillion in cuts as part of the budget control act -- but also you have to cut some of these special interest tax loopholes and republicans are so wh weded to this pledge they signed, that says they will fight one penny of elimination of tax breaks for the folks at

the very top, even if that money goes to deficit reduction or protecting defense spending. their priority is protecting tax breaks for people like mitt romney, frankly, and hedge funds and other folks. >> chris van hollen, thank you for joining us. appreciate it. >> thank you. we'll hear from the other side of this shutdown showdown. how far republicans are willing to go to get what they want in this fiscal fight. developing news in syria where a suicide bomber struck a meeting of president assad's top military officials. plus a look at the president's schedule today, and mitt romney's. there's lunch with joe biden and, oh, the 2011 women's champions and romney's in ohio, canton, football hall of fame. lot of buffalo bills in that hall of fame. hing the perfect sg begins with back pain and a choice.

take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

legalzoom has an easy and affordable optn. you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support, backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. holding down the fort while you're out catching a movie. [ growls ] lucky for me, your friends showed up with this awesome bone. hey! you guys are great. and if you got your home insurance where you got your cut rate car insurance, it might not replace all this. [ electricity crackling ] [ gasping ] so get allstate. you could save money and be better protected from mayhem like me. [ dennis ] mayhem is everywhere. so get an allstate agent. are you in good hands?

senate leaders are back to the brink, publicly pointing fingers about who is to blame for the looming fiscal cliff. behind the scene both parties are trying to figure out a way to keep a trillion dollars of spending cuts from kicking in. john barasso, good morning, sir. how are you? >> good, luke. thanks. >> thanks so much for being on here. before we get into the business of capitol hill, mr. mcconnell was asked this question yesterday about mitt romney's tax returns. this was his response. >> i wish the president would let us know what he knew about fast and furious. he's in office.

that's directly related to his re-election, his performance. those are the kind of disclosure issues, if you will, that the american people are really interested in. the campaign can speak for itself on its strategy. >> i have to ask you now on the heels of the national review, saying mitt romney should release his tax returns, as well as rick perry, should he do more so that we can move on to bigger issue that is the country cares about? >> the campaign will speak for itself. people at home, across wyoming say they're focused on jobs and the economy. that's what they want the candidates to be talking about, that's what america needs to hear more about when we have 8.2% unemployment, 40 months in a row of unemployment over 8%, an incredible national debt, major problems. that's what people are concerned about, their own jobs and the economy. >> let's talk about this fiscal cliff. obviously there's a lot of

partisan gridlock on capitol hill, front page of the washington post said this in regards to how congress could prevent that outcome. they said, quote, congress could prevent that outcome but lawmakers are pledging to do so only on their terms, creating fears of more patterson gridlock. democrats insist that taxes rise for higher income earners. republicans want to include the affluent and any renewal of the george w. bush era tax cuts. people out there in the country, as you mentioned, are trying to get a job. they see the immense challenges this nation faces. why is congress once again going to the bitter end on partisan issues at the expense of the american people? >> well, i'm ready to work to get people back to work. when bernanke was on capitol hill yesterday he said congress should act quickly to pull the united states back from the -- looking into the abyss with this fiscal cliff. yet the person who threw down

the gauntlet was patty murray, leader of the democratic party, who said i would rather go over the cliff. that's what she said, she would rather go over the cliff in terms of what's happening with taxes. i think we should not raise taxes on anyone. the president agreed two years ago we shouldn't raise taxes on anyone in economic times like these, but the economy, luke, is worse now than it was two years ago. so, if it was a bad idea then, it is a worse idea now. i want to keep the tax rates as they are for at least a year, when we can do overall tax reform. during that time, you can find ways to help improve the economy, get more people back to work. if more people are working, then more tax revenue will come in. the president has to, you know, stop trying to confuse the issue by equating tax increases with spending cuts. our problem isn't that we're taxed too little. it's that we, as a nation, spend too much.

patty murray's plan in my -- >> senator, we pay the lowest percentage of federal tacks since dwight eisenhower. the question is that are you willing -- you heard leon panetta say these types of cuts would decimate d.o.d. job wobs lost, especially in important swing states. is all that worth not raising taxes on the richest 1%? >> you no he that's not going to balance the budget. we need to generate overall tax revenue. to increase taxes on the very people that are creating jobs in this country is a mistake. for the president to say he's for jobs but against the people that actually create the jobs and hire and put people back to work is not a good idea to help our economy. i want to make it easier and cheaper for the private sector to create jobs and the president seems to want to continue to find ways to make it harder and more expensive for the private

sector to create jobs. after all, he said the private sector is doing just fine. well, it is not, based on the regulations, the taxes, the increase cost of health care law. those are all reasons people are not hiring and why unemployment continues to be over 8% for now over 40 months. >> wyoming senator john barrasso, thank you for joining us this morning. take care. >> thank you, luke. up next, a worldwide birthday celebration for an iconic statesman. that's just one of the stories on our radar this morning. plus new twist on the fight over voting rights. team obama fires up the lawyers. but first today's trivia question, whose the first republican woman to secure a full-time seat on the senate finance committee? tweet us the answer at daily rundown. the first correct answer will get -- i'm going to guess

feinstein in the 80s. that might be wrong. we'll see. it's a guess. don't get angry, just a guess. ohio-based interior designer pamela bear was doing well, passing on smaller clients. when the work stopped coming she had to rethink her business plan, diversifying by thinking both big and small. she made sure every customer knew they were valuable to her. for more watch your business sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. [ male announcer ] we believe small things can make a big difference. like how a little oil from here can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. purina one discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food, we can help brighten an old dog's mind so he's up to his old tricks. with this kind of thinking going into our food, imagine all the goodness that can come out of it. just one way we're making the world a better place... one pet at a time. vibrant maturity. from purina one smartblend.

why severy room deserves ll us what outo look great.or is? and every footstep should tell us we made the right decision. so when we can feel our way through the newest, softest, and most colorful options... ...across every possible price range... ...our budgets won't be picking the style. we will. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. make room for savings with $37 basic installation on martha stewart living and platinum plus carpet.

and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard." then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. go for olympic gold and go to college too. [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education

of our u.s. olympic team. developing now, major developments out of syria this morning. suicide blast in damascus killed president assad's brother-in-law. during a meeting of cabinet officials and senior officials. syria's interior minister is among the wounded. within the free syrian army confirms to nbc news that the group is responsible for the explosion. nation's military released a statement saying it was, quote, more determined than ever to confront opposition forces. here, defense secretary leon panetta, moments ago. >> this is a situation that is rapidly spinning out of control. and for that reason, it's extremely important that the international community, working

with other countries that have concerns in that area have to bring maximum pressure on assad. >> and we're also keeping a close eye on new reports from syria's capital of five separate explosions near a military base. the division there reportedly led by bashir al assad's brother, a new resolution aimed at ending the conflict. other stories on our radar this morning, a billion dollar bet on america's best teachers, legal wrangling over ohio votes and global icon is 190 years young. top educators rewarded unveiling a billion dollar initiative to create a master core of teachers. teachers selected would get an extra $20,000 in salary and must commit to the program for multiple years. the big hurdle to the program is, of course, that little thing called congressional approval. the obama campaign has filed a lawsuit, naming ohio secretary

of state john newsted, buckeye state's top official, disputing a law. akron beacon journal reports 30% of all ballots cast in the state were done before election day. and today is nelson mandela international day. this is the former south african president's 94th birthday and the mandela day campaign asks individuals across the globe to spend 67 minutes supporting a charity, serving the community. that's 67 years of public service for nelson mandela. surrounding suburbs where he needs to win big to have a chance at a second term. philadelphia mayor michael nutter will be here. plus buckeye blitz. romney campaign is blanketing ohio today. we'll be there live. and george w. bush says he's not crawling back into the, quote,

swamp of politics. what does that mean for mitt romney? you're watching "the daily rundown." take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

in every way, shape, and form. it's my dream vehicle. on a day to day basis, i am not using gas. my round trip is approximately 40 miles to work. head on home, stop at the grocery store, whatever else that i need to do -- still don't have to use gas. i'm never at the gas station unless i want some coffee. it's the best thing ever. as a matter of fact, i'm taking my savings so that i can go to hawaii.

♪ after unveiling a new aggressive stump speech, mitt romney is taking his speech to ohio today. and he will have company. former governor jeb bush is stumping for romney. governor jindal is hold iing a meeting in columbus, ohio. a state they desperately want to pick up in the fall. nbc's ron mott, who is in bowling green with the romney campaign. good morning to you, ron. what is the theme mitt romney is

trying to push today? >> reporter: hey there, luke, good morning to you. governor romney today is going to hit hard, we think, on president obama's record with the economy and here is what the government says, lack of understanding of american business. you know, yesterday there was a lot of talk about governor john sununu's remarks. a lot of republicans asking mitt romney to punch back, fight back a little harder. we expect to see him do that again today. as you mentioned he has a more aggressive stump speech going. there's a new commercial out today called where did all the money go, released by the romney campaign, which accuses the president of political croneyism and his lack of understanding of business principles. ohio obviously will be one of the battlegrounds and that ground assault, luke, is well under way with the obama 2012 te team, with the democratic national committee and ohio democratic party, in suing the state in early voting, helped in

favor of democrats in this state they want to be able to play on a level playing field in ohio, 18 electorates up for grabs. for governor romney to get to 7 270, that path must include one of these states, michigan, ohio, pennsylvania. without that, it will be difficult for him to get to 270. also you mentioned heavy hitters in the state for governor romney, jeb bush and bobby jindal, of course. >> you'll enjoy looking live at all of them, ron mott. thank you so much, my friend. take care. >> reporter: thank you, sir. among mitt romney's most critic critical now are weighing in on him daily, calling for him to release his tax returns to change the narrative of the campaign and focus on more important issues. political correspondent with the

national journal. our wonderful panel. they all join me now. thank you so much for being here. we appreciate it. how are you guys? >> good morning. >> i want to go right to you. let's talk a little bit about the significance of the national review coming out, calling on mitt romney to release tax returns. >> yeah. >> william f. buckley. >> yep. >> the pinnacle of the conservative thought. it's a big deal. >> piling on. tactically, you have to give the obama campaign high marks here. very smart politicians. they know they've got to take the spotlight off their record and get it on mitt romney. if the election is about barack obama and the job he has done, the president is in serious trouble. if it can be turned to some other issue, he has a fighting chance. the more they can keep the spotlight on mitt romney, the better off they are. >> every time the romney campaign tries to pivot and pivot, they're brought n yesterday was the national review and rick perry.

someone could come out today to call for taxes on the right side. it seems to keep on snowballing. >> right. obviously, they'll keep trying mightily to change the subject. you see that with this new hard-hitting ad out today that raises questions about president obama's stimulus program. you saw that in pittsburgh with mitt romney yesterday, very aggressively criticizing obama's views of the economy. and i think, you know, we'll have -- it will be a sign of the level of anxiety on the part of the romney campaign if they do announce the vice presidential pick this week. that would signal to the rest of us just how damaging this earlier week and last week have been with the focus on being on tacks. >> out spent two to one. nitpicking to some degree that this won't create any jobs for

anybody, is there too much faith in democrats being put on this line of attack? should they have something more in their arsenal? >> no. >> this works? >> it's working because governor romney's campaign is on the defensive. look, he needs to change the narrative. he will. it's a long campaign. events will be coming up. i don't know. i just think by not releasing his taxes about giving these vague answers, he continues the story. and the advantage for president obama and democrats is, okay, maybe it will come off the front pages in a couple of days, but if he doesn't release his taxes, we could bring it up in august and september and october and november. >> remember, luke, this has gone on for maybe six weeks. it started with the first allegation against romney is he's a wealthy guy. that lasted two weeks. then it's private equity is fundamentally evil and let's find the one -- bane has this incredible success rate. let's find the one steel company

that didn't work out and make that the story. then last week maybe there's a discrepancy on filings between which date he left bane. whatever you can do to keep kicking that can down the road. >> develops this mystery about mitt romney, who exactly is this guy? >> there might be cumulative factors as well. you have to say advantage obama. the five words that obama's team is not going to say -- that president obama is not going to say is i've done a good job. those are five words he can't say. you have to talk about something else. you have to conjure things up. mitt romney could show up with a wheel barrea wheelbarrow of data tomorrow. and obama will say there's one more issue. that's the only thing they can do to win. >> ignite the base about back then the issue was terrorism. it's interesting now, much like the bush campaign went after john kerry's strongest asset, his defense credentials, the obama campaign is going after

romney's strongest asset, being this great businessman and trying to make it his greatest weakness. >> there's a theme tying in all these attacks, whether it's bane, the tax returns or swiss bank accounts. the overall theme is this is a rich guy. he's not like you, ordinary american who is struggling in the economy. he's involved in some kind of shady deals. he has a lot of money and we don't know where it is. it gets to those fundamental questions of do we like this guy, do we trust this guy? >> i think it's mostly, though, about his character. you go back to the 2004 campaign on kerry in the military. and i think what's coming across -- and i don't know how they're going to pivot to deal with this -- is a picture is being painted of mitt romney as possibly gordon gecko. it's okay to be successful. it's okay to, you know, work in

capitalism. but one step further to the gordon gecko of this campaign creates a problem. >> the appearance of the evil businessman as opposed to the pragmatic business leader. plus hopefully we hear from philadelphia mayor michael nutter. first, the white house soup of the day, chicken noodle. that is something you can set your watch to. everybody likes chicken noodle. it is the way to get healthy if you're sick. way to go, white house. actor holt bevy of weird soups. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. take us out, a little r & b. co, our current dividend tax rate will expire this year, sending taxes through the roof and hindering economic recovery. the consequences? millions of americans will see their taxes on dividend income spike, slowing investment in u.s. companies and jeopardizing development in energy projects

that create american jobs. ask congress to stop a dividend tax hike -- for all of us.

♪ i want to go ♪ i want to win [ breathes deeply ] ♪ this is where the dream begins ♪ ♪ i want to grow ♪ i want to try ♪ i can almost touch the sky [ male announcer ] even the planet has an olympic dream. dow is proud to support that dream by helping provide greener, more sustainable solutions from the olympic village to the stadium. solutionism. the new optimism.™ ♪ this dream thank you, thank you, thank you. this week, we've made history.

tomorrow, we will make the american future. >> daily flashback to this day in 1984 when the bruising fight for the democrat nomination officially came to an end, walter mondale claimed the nomination in san francisco. besting gary hart and jesse jackson. he would then go on to be thumped quite mightily by mr. ronald reagan. i believe only winning his own state and the district of columbia, if my history is correct. walter mondale. if you're a mondale fan, this was your day of glee in 1984. to keep his job, president obama will need to win big in large cities like philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. republicans are working hard to turn pennsylvania red. mayor michael nutter of philadelphia joins me now. thank you so much for being on the program. >> thank you.

>> for president obama to win pennsylvania, he will need a huge outpouring of support around philadelphia. he had 54% of the vote back in 2008, especially in those surrounding areas. do you see a sort of sense of a less enthusiasm this time around to the president's policies, specifically in the surrounding suburbs, main line areas of philadelphia that he so desperately needs? >> two things. one, let me mention i appreciate you mentioning i'm president of the u.s. conference of mayors. the conference itself is a nonpartisan and, actually bipartisan organization. so i'll speak to these particular issues as -- just as the mayor of the city of philadelphia. i'm a democrat, strongly supporting president obama. there is an enthusiasm and it is building and growing. i think part of it is people are coming to see and hear more and more, certainly, about the president's record, things that he has been doing to create jobs

and economic vitality, whether in philadelphia or across pennsylvania, strong support for affordable care act and making sure that people can get health care and continuing to support investments in infrastructure and transportation to put phil did he ha philadelphians and americans back to work. questions about mr. romney in terms of his need to be honest with the american people about his time at bane, the questions about when he left, what he did. and it's really becoming a credibility problem, about his ability to just tell the truth with facts and i think increasing increasingly his integrity is truly being questioned and it should. he needs to come clean with the american public. the president has been straightforward and talks about the issues that matter to philadelphians, to

pennsylvanians and our enthusiasm is really not a question so much here in philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs and all across the state. >> you're confident with the voter i.d. law and everything that you're going to be okay? >> we are working very hard to make sure that the estimated 18% of philadelphians hoblingd who could be negatively affected by this voter i.d. law -- a program or proposal, solution looking for a problem. there really is no voter issue or voter fraud issue here. but we'll deal with this law. we're working as a city and a state to make sure that everyone's right to vote is protected, that they are not disenfranchised, whether here in philadelphia or across pennsylvania. we'll spend the next few months working on that to make sure people can vote, come out to vote and, at least in my perspective, are voting strongly and accurately for president obama. >> let's talk about the u.s. conference of mayors. >> thank you. >> we obviously all know about this fiscal cliff on the horizon that the federal government has to deal with.

your legislature there, mr. brady in washington. in your state, scranton, p.a., having to put all their workers down to minimum wage. are you worried that lack of action from the federal government could make what's happening in scranton par for the course in a lot of american cities? >> i'm very, very concerned about this sense of gridlock in washington, d.c. it's unfortunate that in many instances republicans in the house of representatives will not, in any way, shape or form, cooperate with president obama. you mentioned congressman brady. i'm fortunate here in philadelphia to have people like congressman brady and congressman schwartz in the house who are prepared to do the right thing and want to support cities all across the united states of america. the area that has been hit pretty hard by this recession has been state and local governments. while the private sector has been creating jobs, many of us have had to reduce payrolls. i've not laid off anyone in

philadelphia but strengthen our payroll by attrition. >> i'm sorry to interrupt you. really quickly, if there's one thing that republican and democratic mayors could hear from congress today that they would agree on, that they would want to put forward, what do they funding for infrastructure. we want funding for the american jobs act. we are just asking the congress and republican congress in particular, do the job to put americans back in their jobs. >> thank you very much, mr. mayor. we appreciate it. trivia time. we asked who is the first republican woman to secure a full-time republican seat in the senate finance committee. the answer is senator olympia snowe. she was the third woman in history to join the panel. do you have a trivia question you think should be on the show? e-mail us at

dailyrundown@nsnbc.com. don't go anywhere. stay here. ever y ea sophia and i use the points we earn with our citi thankyou card for a relaxing vacation. ♪ sometimes, we go for a ride in the park. maybe do a little sightseeing. or, get some fresh air. but this summer, we used our thank youpoints to just hang out with a few friends in london. [ male announcer ] the citi thankyou visa card. redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. rewarding you, every step of the way.

redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com.

pretty unattractive metap r metaphor. i said i'm crawling out of the swamp and i'm not getting back in. i'm interested in politics. i'm a supporter of mitt romney. i hope he does well, but you know, he can do well would you tell me. >> let's bring back our panel of fred yang and frank lavin and beth reinhard. can he do well without president bush? >> he can do well that he achieved the highest stature possible. anybody to be president has to get there on your own. no former president can make you

president. >> they don't want that connection. romney? >> bush's base has folded into the base. bush can probably help with fund raising. >> fred, you love the george w. bush and mitt romney photo op? >> it is interesting to compare bush to clinton. i have been involved in a couple of primaries and clinton has gotten involved for political candidates. his numbers are strong and very active and involved and engaged in the swamps. >> at one time, there was a obama-backed candidate. >> yes. beth, close us out here. the impact of george w. bush in the election. obama wants to make it about that. >> i don't think i ever heard governor romney talk about the

bush administration. i don't think we ever will. there are concerns picking rob portman. >> shameless plugs around the table. beth. >> i'll plug our coverage. you go there and sign up for updates and we'll keep you updated. >> yes, "national journal" drives the hill. >> i want to say hi to my family in massachusetts. my shameless plug is michael nutter is a former client of mine. >> exportnow.com. manage their chinese e-commerce from the desk. they run it like e-bay or amazon platform. >> thank you to our panel. that is it for this edition of "the daily rundown." i'll still here before the goat

comes back. "jansing & company" is coming up next. be well. here is a look at the business travel forecast. thunderstorms will be a problem today. we will see numerous big cities with a chance of storms. that could mean airport delays. thunderstorms in boston and hartford and washington, d.c. and maybe atlanta and detroit. you get the picture here. late in the afternoon is the worst of the travel.

an accident doesn't have to slow you down... with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer...

with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance, responsibility -- what's your policy? and on small business saturday bothey remind a nations of the benefits of shopping small. on just one day, 100 million of us joined a movement... and main street found its might again. and main street found its fight again. and we, the locals, found delight again. that's the power of all of us. that's the power of all of us. that's the membership effect of american express.

good morning. i'm chris jansing. the pressure on mitt romney to release more of his tax returns is intensifying this morning. rick perry suggested that romney be as, quote, as conservative as you can be. as mitt romney heads to ohio today, it did not help that two supporters took campaign off the message. former governor john sununu apologized for saying this. >> the men and women all over america who have worked hard to build these businesses, their businesses, from the ground up, is how our economy became the envy of the world. it is the american way and i wish this president would learn how to be an american. >> then bloggers pounced on former senator john mccain when

asked he did not choose mitt romney as a running made in '08. he told "politico" because sarah palin was a better candidate. why did we not take the other people? why didn't i? because we had a better candidate. we have chris and john with us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> john, we have this long list of high profile republicans who are saying romney should release taxes and get it behind him. there are reports that people in his camp are divided about this. do you think the national review is right as his position is now unsustainab unsustainable? >> i think they should have addressed this a week ago or two weeks ago. every day that they are talking about this is a day they are not framing the race. >> it is the drip, drip, drip, right? >> it is, but it takes them off the game showing this president has been a failure and mitt romney has a vision of w